


A Final French Mistake

by dazylein



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is the third character, Coda, Drunk!Dean dealing with his loss, Episode: s15e19 Inherit the Earth, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Inspired by Episode: s06e15 The French Mistake, M/M, Sam and Dean shitting on the script, Spoilers for Episode: s15e20 Carry On
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:55:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27655111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dazylein/pseuds/dazylein
Summary: Looks like there’s one universe Chuck forgot to nuke. That’s right, it’s this one. Sam and Dean end up in a coronavirus world where Supernatural is just a show. That is, until the boys read through the script and realize that whatever happens in the script, ends up happening in their universe as well. Dean’s determined not to get killed off by a nail and live in a Heaven where the third character is a car.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Comments: 56
Kudos: 204





	1. Chapter 1

The punch Sam delivers to Chuck’s jawline almost breaks Sam’s knuckles and sends him flying. He can feel the air being sucked out of him and his insides getting crushed and ripped apart. The pain that shoots through Sam’s kneecaps on impact of hitting the rocky sand feels minuscule compared to the torture Chuck executes with the slightest wave of his hand.

Sam grits his teeth and tries to ignore the sensation of his rip cage slowly being pulled inwards. They just need to distract Chuck. At least until Jack absorbs enough of his powers. No fighting, no surviving required. As long as they can give Jack enough time to juice up and take Chuck down, this will be a win for Team Free Will.

Sam can do this.

Sam heaves, tries to catch his breath though it feels like his head is being held underwater by Chuck. Every bone in his body feels broken, every tendon feels snapped. He just needs to get up on his feet. Anything to win them more time.

Sam manages to get himself on all fours and shoots the trademarked Winchester look of defiance in Chuck’s direction.

“This all you got?”

The words never actually leave Sam’s mouth. He sees Chuck lift his left arm and snap his fingers but the process of what this action means isn’t processed by Sam until everything around them goes black.

\---

“Goddammit!”

The lights flicker for a moment before neon brightness fills the beach from left to right.

Sam’s ribcage expands until air flows freely through his body again, the bruises on his kneecaps fade away, and the blood in his mouth stops tasting like iron and more like… corn syrup?

Sam’s head isn’t spinning from pain anymore but confusion. He takes a look at his surroundings and finds several dozen people, _strangers_ , staring at him. Lights are blinding Sam’s vision and there are at least three big ass cameras focused on his face.

Chuck is still there and shoots a friendly smile in Sam’s direction and then Chuck turns around and gets into a black SUV with Jack.

What. The. Fuck?

Sam stands up, feeling no pain in his body other than sore muscles and exhaustion. He quickly crosses the short distance to where Dean is currently getting up on his feet.

“Somehow I’m getting a strange sense of déjà vu here, Dean,” Sam says, bending over slightly to whisper the words in his brother’s ear, careful so the strangers won’t hear him.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Jared, Jensen, six feet!”

Sam spins around to look at the group of strangers. They are all wearing masks covering their noses and mouths.

A short woman with brown hair and a black mask runs over to Sam and Dean and hands them both a white cottony mask.

Sam and Dean both stare at her.

The woman stares right back. After a moment, she rolls her eyes with an exasperated sigh. “Well, put them on. I know you guys are tested but we still gotta follow the policies.”

Sam and Dean obey, too dumbstruck to think of a reason not to. The woman leaves satisfied and goes back to join the group of strangers.

“What the hell is going on here?” Dean’s voice is an angry mumble that Sam has trouble understanding through the thin layer of Dean’s mask.

“I don’t know, but I think they mean us when they say Jensen and Jared.”

Dean wipes his hand over his face and looks horrified at the amount of make-up that’s now on his palm. “Son of a - Not this shit again!”

The next person to step out of the group and approach them is an old man with white hair and bold spots, button-up, and script in hand. Sam doesn’t like the sight of him at all. The man looks too familiar for Sam not to feel nauseous.

“Hey guys, the equipment got screwed up again. Looks like it’s gonna take a while to get it fixed. So much for being able to work with half the technicians on set, am I right?”

Dean takes a threatening step towards the man, who, in turn, takes a step back. “Six feet, Jensen.”

“This is bullshit!”

The man shrugs his shoulder in a _well-what-can-ya-do_ way. “I’ll have Clif drive you back to your trailers.”

“ _Please_ tell me Chuck didn’t throw us back into TV land!” Dean grunts angrily as they climb into the backseat of Clif’s black SUV. “I thought he nuked all the other universes.”

“I don’t know, Dean. But this- this can’t be good.”

“So we’re back to being… _actors_.” Dean feels physical pain as he forces the words through his teeth. “Playing us on that stupid TV show.”

“I guess so.”

Dean pulls his mask off and slams it on the big, glass table in _Jensen’s_ trailer. He begins to walk around the trailer, opening up every cabinet in the stainless-steel kitchen until he successfully holds a full bottle of Canadian whiskey in his hand.

Sam, in the meantime, sits down in one of the chairs. There’s a rolled-up paper sitting on the table that he picks up with curiosity. A sense of foreboding runs through Sam’s body as he starts to read:

_Dean is pushed against the wooden pillar. We see a long nail sticking out of the pillar and penetrating Dean’s spine from behind._

Sam puts the script down. He looks up to see Dean take a big swig of the whiskey while rummaging through the mini-fridge.

_Get a grip, Sam._

Sam physically shakes himself. It’s just a stupid TV show. Nothing is real. He picks the script up again and flips over to the next page.

_SAM - crying and in denial, shaking his head. Then don’t leave me_

Despite the little voice in his head telling him it’s not their universe, not his Dean, not their story, Sam’s heart begins to beat faster and his grip around the pages tightens. He skims over the rest of the scene, not wanting to picture what’s described to him in black and white.

_Dean’s eyes close. Camera fades out to Sam crying over his loss and holding Dean up in his arms._

“Cold pizza?” Dean stands by the open fridge, holding a white cardboard box in his hand. He’s grinning at Sam, mouth already filled with a slice.

The contrast to the written pages and seeing Dean _alive_ and _smiling_ is too much for Sam. He gets up from his chair and starts going through the trailer.

“Watcha looking for, Sammy? If we need another key to get out of this universe, I don’t think it’s gonna be in this trailer.”

“The script. The script.” Sam mumbles almost frantically as he marches over to the bedroom and rips open each drawer he finds there.

Sam feels someone grab his shoulders and still him. He turns around and finds Dean’s _alive_ eyes giving him a concerned look.

“What’s gotten into you? The script for this dumbass show? It’s probably in the garbage where it belongs.”

Sam ignores Dean’s dismissal on this subject. His breath is quick and shallow, his heart still thumping loudly in his chest. “Remember when Dad went missing? When you broke into my apartment at Stanford?”

Dean furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “Yeah, why?”

“How long did you wait in front of the building?”

Dean lets go of Sam’s shoulder and takes a step back, pulls his hands over his face, smearing more make-up in the process. “I- I don’t know.” There’s a blush creeping up Dean’s neck and he avoids eye contact. “Maybe a couple hours or so. Wanted to make sure you were home.”

The fear that’s been building up steadily in Sam’s throat grows immeasurable and it feels like Chuck is forcing his head underwater again.

Sam brushes past Dean, back into the kitchen and grabs the paper stack off the table, holding it up for Dean to see.

“What if the script is real, Dean? What if this is actually going to happen in our universe?”

Dean grabs the script from him and flips through the pages. A chuckle escapes Dean that Sam can’t even begin to understand. There’s nothing funny about this situation.

Dean notices Sam’s stoic expression. He looks up from the script to roll his eyes at Sam. “Oh, c’mon Sammy, you don’t actually think that’s how it’s going to play out, right? A fucking nail?”

“Well what if it is real, Dean?”

“I’ll get a tetanus shot first thing we get back to our universe.” Dean puts the script down and holds his hand up to Sam. “Pinky promise.”

Sam scoffs and starts walking around the trailer again, like a caged tiger unsure of what to do, unable to do anything. “I want to read the script for the scene we just did.”

“What for?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’ll find something useful in there? I mean, if the scripts run somewhat parallel to our lives, then maybe we missed something?”

Dean sighs but doesn’t argue Sam’s point any further. It’s not like they have any other plans. Chugging whiskey while ripping drawers out and digging through suitcases isn’t the worst way Dean’s ever spent his time trapped in an alternative reality.

The search, however, proves to be useless. At some point, Dean’s _or Jensen’s_ phone begins to ring and Dean fishes the phone out of his pocket and puts the call on speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hey Jensen, Rob and I are about to get some takeout. Is there anything we can get you?” The voice sounds like Jack. So this must be fake Jack calling them.

“Sure, I’ll take a burger.” Dean shrugs his shoulders at Sam who widens his eyes at Dean impatiently.

“Ask about the scripts,” Sam hisses.

“Hey, Ja-, I mean,” Dean looks at the saved contact on his screen. “ _Alex_. Any chance you can bring the scripts over to my trailer?”

“Sure, for what episode?”

Dean shoots Sam another look. “Uhm… all of them?”

\---

Fake Jack doesn’t ask any questions when he drops off the scripts along with two burgers and fries. Dean reciprocates this gesture by shutting the trailer door in fake Jack’s face.

“Thank you, have a good night,” Dean yells merrily and drops the pile of scripts on the table.

“So where do we start?” Sam asks, looking at the twenty different stacks of paper and picking one up at random.

“No clue but there better be something useful in there.”

It feels strange to read about the little private moments you lived through and have them be written and described by someone else from a third perspective. Sam’s thoughts keep drifting back to those memories and remind him of the ones that happened between the lines. Eileen and him going out for supper, holding hands, taking an evening stroll around the port. A normal couple on a normal date. Of course, that didn’t make it in the script. Somehow, Sam catches himself wishing it had.

“I wonder who’s playing Cas now,” Dean muses flipping through some pages and happily sipping whiskey from the bottle.

“What do you mean?” Sam looks up from the _Golden Time_ script. Every line he reads feels like reliving the moment for a second time. Eileen as a ghost. Eileen saved. Eileen in his arms.

“Well, fake Cas got stabbed last time we were here, remember?” Dean doesn’t look up from the script, his eyes still reading line after line. “Must still be a dude cause it says _he_ in there,” Dean adds with a mutter and raised eyebrow.

Sam fails to understand how this is relevant. He sighs and picks up a new script. _Despair_.

A shiver runs over Sam’s back when he realizes what event this script revolves around. The further Sam gets into reading it, the sweatier his hands become. The fact that his emotions are written down right next to his actions, right next to the line signalling Eileen dying, vanishing in front of his very own eyes is… too much.

Sam puts the script down, takes a few deep breaths and focuses on a dead cactus sitting on one of the window sills.

His heart slows down gradually and Sam decides to skip reading about his girlfriend’s death scene for now and flips over a few pages until he finds a scene he hasn’t personally lived through.

The scene of Dean and Cas locking themselves up in the bunker, waiting for Billie to break through the door catches Sam’s attention.

So this is how Castiel sacrificed himself.

“Dean,” Sam starts, the word unsure on his lips. He feels as if he’s crossed a line, read something that he shouldn’t have. _You didn’t tell me about this part._

“I’m sorry,” Sam swallows done the words and fights the urge to ask. Sam knows the answer anyway. Hopefully, Dean does too.

“For what?”

Sam holds up the script and shows it to Dean. “This is about Chuck making everyone disappear. Cas’ uhm, Cas’ death is described in here.”

“Gimme that,” Dean rips the script out of Sam’s hand and hastily flips to the last few pages.

Sam watches his brother carefully. Dean’s face twitches, his eyes widen, his pupils go back and forth, back and forth, rereading the same set of lines over and over again. He swallows and inconspicuously wipes the corner of his eye with the sleeve of his shirt.

To say Sam feels uncomfortable would be an understatement. He gets up from his chair and grabs his coat.

“I need some fresh air,” Sam announces and leaves the trailer. Dean doesn’t look up as the door shuts with a bang.

\---

Sam walks around the studio grounds aimless and lost, but he keeps on walking. The air is chilly and the stars in the sky are few but other than the sound of crickets, the place is quiet and leaves Sam alone with his thoughts.

If everything these past few months happened exactly like it did in the scripts, Sam can’t help but wonder about the last two scripts he read. The ones that haven’t happened yet. Jack killing Chuck. Jack becoming God. Dean and Sam finally free. Dean dead and going to heaven. Sam with mystery wife and kid. It doesn’t feel real.

“Can’t sleep again?”

Sam spins around and sees Jack. A mask is covering his mouth but his eyes look at Sam gently.

“Just getting some fresh air.”

“It doesn’t feel real does it?”

Sam’s head shoots up at that and he stares at Jack, suddenly on high alert.

“I mean,” Jack continues, “I’ve only been on this show for a few seasons. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you. Fifteen years. Crazy to see it end like this.”

Sam does a double-take. His throat feels dry and he gulps and licks his lips before he even attempts to speak. “End?”

Jack nods solemnly. “Just a few more days of shooting and then this will all be taken down. I still haven’t cleared out my trailer. Everything’s just happening so fast.”

Sam doesn’t trust what he’s hearing. “Are you saying that this- this show, it’s ending?”

Jack looks at him oddly. “Pretty sure it is. Are you okay, Jared?”

Sam is quick to nod and give him a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I- uh, I think I left something in Dean’s, uh, Jensen’s trailer.”

\---

“Dean!”

Sam barges into the trailer and it takes him a second to find his brother passed out on the couch. The open bottle of whiskey is still in Dean’s hand and liquid is continuously pouring out and onto the floor.

The strong stench of alcohol burns Sam’s nose and he runs over to the couch, shaking Dean awake.

“Dean! Wake up!”

Dean lets go of the bottle. It drops down on the floor with a thud while Dean rolls over on the couch, facing away from Sam.

“You stupid idiot,” Sam mumbles and picks up the bottle. By the time Sam has cleaned up the spill, he’s astonishingly calmer than he’d expected to be.

He lets Dean sleep off his drunkenness and grabs Jensen’s laptop from the bedroom. Luckily, there’s no password and Sam carries the laptop to the table, opening up the internet browser.

_Supernatural’s final season: Last two-hour episode to air November 19 th at 8 pm_

Sam reads through every article. He reads the script of the final two episodes until he’s remembered every line. When Dean wakes up from his passed-out nap and joins Sam at the table, it’s six in the morning and Sam’s a fucking mess.

“Dean!”

Dean winces and shuts his eyes. “Stop yelling, I feel like shit, Sam.”

Sam turns the laptop over and pushes it over to Dean. “This show is ending, Dean.”

“Hallelujah.”

“Do you have any idea what this means? Every script matches our life to the exact detail. What if this is like the AU version of Chuck’s books? What if it’s another prophecy?”

Dean squints one eye open and looks at Sam. “Guess that means I’m getting myself a dog.”

“Dean!”

“What, Sam? What are we expected to do here, huh? We don’t even know why Chuck zapped us here in the first place. Us being brought back here isn’t exactly in the script.”

“Yes, but when we get back-”

Dean slams his fist against the table and cuts Sam off. “ _Last time_ it took a fucking archangel to get us out of here. There’s no archangel in this universe. There’s no archangel left in _our_ universe. We’re screwed, Sam. Whatever it says in these goddamn scripts doesn’t matter. We’ve lost either way.”

\---

Later that morning, they get a call from _Andrew_ informing them that the equipment is still broken and filming is still on hold.

Dean spends the rest of the day drinking while Sam searches the internet for anything that might be of use to them.

“Dean?”

“What now, Sam?” Dean snaps from where he’s sprawled out on the leather couch doing absolutely nothing other than staring at the white ceiling of the trailer.

Sam clears his throat, double-checks that what he’s seeing on the screen is real and valid. “I don’t think we’re in the same universe as last time. Misha – the guy who plays Cas, he’s still alive in this world.”

There’s a moment of silence that passes between the two brothers. Sam watches as Dean’s body goes rigid, as he squints his eyes shut and balls his hands into fists. Dean takes a deep breath and pulls himself off the couch.

“Let’s get that impersonating feathery son of a bitch down here.”

\---

“What do you mean we can’t get him here?” Dean barks at Andrew.

Andrew barely blinks. He takes a moment to take off his glasses and cleans them on his shirt before he puts them back on and looks at Dean calmly from across his wooden desk. “He’s not in the script, why would we fly him out?”

“He’s part of the show!”

“He’s also in another country right now and production is already behind enough as it is. It’s completely unnecessary to fly Misha out here, Jensen. Castiel’s story is wrapped up.”

“So you’re just going to leave him in the Empty?” Dean yells and kicks away the chair he’s sitting in. Dean paces around Andrew’s office muttering quiet curses to himself and shooting death glares into Andrew’s direction.

Every cog in Sam’s brain is spinning at full-speed trying to find a way to get fake-Castiel here while Andrew simply rolls his eyes. “What do you want me to do here, Jensen, huh? My hands are tied, the script’s already been approved. There’s no Castiel and no Misha in the finale.”

“He doesn’t have to be in the script, goddammit!” Dean exclaims. “He just needs to be here, okay? I just need to see him.”

“Then call him up and face-time him.”

Dean opens his mouth, closes it again, then pulls out Jensen’s phone from his pocket. He sits back down in the chair next to Sam and Sam can see him pull up the contact list.

_Michael. Miranda. Misha._

Dean stares at the phone, thumb hovering over Misha’s name. Dean looks over to Sam, his eyes wide and scared.

“You think he’ll pick up?”

“Only one way to find out.”  
\---


	2. Chapter 2

“Hello?”

Dean closes his eyes and presses the phone a little bit closer to his ear.

“Misha? It’s uh, it’s… Jensen, hi.”

“Hello.”

Dean opens his eyes and looks at Sam for help. They really didn’t put much thought into this plan before executing it.

Dean makes a motion to hand the phone over to Sam who shakes his head vigorously and leans further into his chair and away from Dean.

Kids are screaming at the other end of the line. The repeated ‘dad’ impossible to miss.

“You- you have kids?” Dean stutters all the color draining from his face.

Andrew is looking at Dean, his entire face scrunched up with confusion, trying to understand just what the fuck is going on with his two superstars.

“That seems to be the case, yes.”

Dean exhales sharply. Even if it’s not the real Cas he’s talking to, it’s still the same deep and gravelly voice, the same deadpan responses, the same familiar shiver getting send down Dean’s spine and making his heart ache with longing. It’s not his Cas, but it’s a start.

“We need you to come on set.” The words leave Dean’s tongue sounding final and pertinent.

Andrew's eyes widen and he mouths something to Dean that Dean chooses to ignore.

“On….set?”

“Yes, we need you to come to Vancouver right now, Ca-, Misha. It’s very important.”

“I…I don’t know.”

The hand that isn’t holding the phone to Dean’s ear is curling up into a tight fist, nails digging deep into his palm.

“Please, we need you. I need you here with me.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Dean hangs up with a silent thank-you prayer to Cas.

Andrew stares at him, silent fury building up in his body. “Just what in the worlds of fucks was that?”

Dean shrugs his shoulder and gives him a sweet smile. “Someone’s gotta do your job.” He pockets his phone and stands up. “Let’s go, Sammy.”

“It’s Sam.”

“It’s Jared! Since when did the two of you become method actors? Holy fuck.”

\---

Back in Jensen’s trailer, Dean finishes the rest of the whiskey and Sam starts to cook them breakfast. Jensen, unlike Dean, keeps more than just bacon and old pizza in his fridge and Sam feels an unexpected sense of joy at the sight of a ripe avocado.

Sam’s in the middle of enjoying his poached-egg-on-avocado-toast when he feels a vibration in the inner pocket of his jacket. He fishes out the ringing phone and checks the screen. _Gen ❤️_ Huh, guess he’s still married to fake-Ruby in this world.

Sam tries to answer the phone but doesn’t make it past the lock screen.

“Hey, Dean?”

“Huh?” Dean’s voice comes out muffled, face pressed against a decorative pillow on the couch. The whiskey bottle stands empty on the coffee table.

Sam fights the urge to pull his older brother back on his feet. Sure, this is Dean’s way of dealing, Sam’s witnessed it enough times, but it still doesn’t make it any easier for him to sit back quietly and watch his brother drink himself into a stupor. Then again, Sam can’t imagine what he would’ve done if Eileen had sacrificed himself for him the way Cas did for Dean. Sam’s guilt level is on an all-new-high as it is.

Sam swallows and brushes away the memory before it can fully surface back into his consciousness. The phone in his hand is still ringing and Sam tries to focus on the little lock symbol instead. One problem at a time.

“How’d you unlock Jensen’s phone?”

“Dude uses facial recognition.”

_Shit_. Well, Sam’s not that lucky. Jared’s phone is asking him to enter a full password. No pin, no pattern, no knock code. A full fucking password. It’s going to take hours to crack.

Sam watches helplessly as the phone goes quiet and Gen’s name on the screen gets replaced by a Missed Call (1) notification.

In all of Sam’s ten-second panic, he hadn’t noticed the wallpaper of the lock screen. Three young children with shaggy, brown hair are grinning back at him. Cheeky smile, dimples, long, gangly limbs. Even if Sam didn’t know whose phone this was, the kids undoubtedly are a mix of him and Ruby.

Sam stares at the picture until the screen turns off. Only then does he realizes the way both corners of his lips have involuntarily shot up and put a sting in his eyes.

Sam blinks heavily and pockets the phone away. It’s ridiculous, he tells himself, to feel jealous of an alternative version of himself. Sam should feel happy knowing there’s at least one universe where they don’t get screwed over by Chuck.

In a world without monsters, Sam could’ve had a wife and three beautiful kids.

The urge is too strong for Sam to fight it and he pulls the phone out again and turns the screen back on. This could’ve been his life. The missed call notification feels like it’s mocking him.

_Genevieve_ Sam punches into the password field. _Try again_ the phone replies to him.

_Gen_ Sam types in frustration. _Try again._

_Password. Try again._

_Ihavethreekids. Try again._

_Fuckthisshit_. _You have incorrectly entered your password 5 times. Try again in 30 seconds._

“Fuck,” Sam swears out loud and puts the phone on the kitchen table. He walks over to where Dean is passed out on the couch and shakes his brother ruthlessly awake.

“I need to borrow your phone.”

Dean grumbles something incoherently but slides his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and pulls out Jensen’s phone. Dean unlocks the phone first before handing it over to Sam.

Heart pumping in his throat, Sam opens up the contacts and scrolls down the list. _Gabe. Garrett. Griffin._

No Genevieve, but Sam’s not willing to give up that easily. He scrolls down further until he finds the name _Jared_ and clicks on the _Home_ number.

The call gets picked up on the fourth ring and Sam lets out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“Hello?”

Sam swallows and can’t bring the name Jared across his lips. “Hey, it’s me.”

Ruby’s voice on the other line gets soft and Sam can practically hear the smile on her lips. “Oh hey honey, I just tried to call you on your phone.”

“Yeah, I dropped my phone earlier and the screen’s completely cracked, can’t even get past the lock screen,” Sam lies and scratches his head, hoping that dropping a phone is a Jared thing to do.

“Not again,” Gen sighs but her voice perks up again a moment later. “Listen, can I put you on facetime? The kids want to see you.”

\---

By the time Dean wakes him from his nap, Sam’s sitting at the table staring at Jared’s phone, pushing the button to turn the lock screen back on every thirty seconds. After a one-hour phone call with Gen and his three way-too-easily-lovable-not-your-real-kids-Sam!, Sam has found out enough information about this world that it’s making his head spin.

“You okay?”

Dean slides into the chair across from Sam and gives him a concerned look.

“I just got off the phone with Gen.”

“Fake-Ruby?”

Sam nods solemnly and tells Dean everything he’s learned.

“So all of us are married with kids and the universe we got thrown in last time definitely isn’t the same as this one because it was just another episode in this world?” Dean clarifies and presses his fingers to his temple. “Man, this shit is giving me a headache. If you think about it, we’re technically not even real in this world, just figments of imagination for a stupid tv show.”

“At least we don’t hate each other in this universe,” Sam throws in weakly.

“Yeah but we’re still not brothers!”

There’s a knock on the trailer door that startles them both.

Dean looks at Sam wide-eyed. “You think Misha’s here already?”

Sam doubts it, but he shrugs his shoulders in response. “I don’t know.”

In a heartbeat, Dean is at the door and pulling it open.

“Hey guys,” Chuck walks right past Dean and inside the trailer, giving Sam a nod. “Thought you’d be here too.”

Both brothers, on instinct, reach for the gun their alter egos don’t carry.

Chuck gives them an odd look. “Andrew asked me to stop by. You two, uh, hanging in there?”

“Is this some fucking joke to you, Chuck?” Dean snaps at the same time that Sam yells: “Why are you doing this?”

Chuck tilts his head and slides down in the chair across from Sam. “Look guys, I know this year has been tough and I won’t pretend to understand what it’s like to let go of something that you’ve been part of for so long. But demanding Misha to come back here isn’t going to make this any easier. Not for you, not for me, not for the show.”

“Wait a second,” Sam puts up a hand, trying to process everything while giving Chuck a careful once-over. “So you’re just an actor. You’re not the real God, are you?”

Chuck looks between the two of the brothers and a sad expression crosses his face. “I know with everything that’s going on it’s not easy to see people right now, but if either one of you ever wants to talk about it, I’m here for you. You know, maybe it’s good that Misha’s coming. We never really got to say goodbye to him, maybe we can all say goodbye to the show together.”

\---

“I don’t trust that guy one bit,” Dean announces the moment ‘Rob’ leaves and the two brothers are alone in Jensen’s trailer.

“Me neither,” Sam echoes. He’s pretty certain that fake Chuck is just an actor but it would also be a Chuck thing to write himself a role into this universe. “Then again, if Chuck did follow us into this dimension, he could be anybody and we’d have no way of knowing.”

A sardonic grin spreads over Dean’s features. “What are the chances of Chuck pretending to be that Misha guy?”

Sam doesn’t even want to think about that possibility. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, Dean. He could be. We still don’t know why Chuck brought us here to begin with.”

“Fucking fantastic,” Dean growls and looks mournfully at the empty whiskey bottle. “You think Clif will take us on a liquor run?”

\---

“So what’s with all the masks?”

Clif takes advantage of the red traffic light to take his eyes off the road and give the boys a you-guys-are-fucked look. Out loud, he says: “Pandemic, can’t go anywhere in public without wearing them.”

Dean and Sam exchange a glance.

“You think that’s how Chuck tried to kill this universe?” Sam whispers to Dean, he says it low enough that Clif won’t hear him. Sam’s starting to get sick of people in this universe looking at them like they’re two complete nutcases every time they speak.

Dean shrugs his shoulder. “Could be. Would explain why it still exists.”

“Well, if that’s the case,” Sam sits up straighter in the backseat, excitement rushing through his body. “Chuck might not even know we’re here.”

Dean rests his head against the window and watches the raindrops slowly gliding down the glass. Although it’s around lunchtime, there’s no rush hour traffic and barely any people are seen outside on the sidewalks. _Strange universe_.

“When we were at the beach, I saw Chuck snap his fingers before we got catapulted here,” Dean admits quietly.

“Yeah, I saw that too.”

Dean tears his eyes from the window and redirects them at his brother. “So what are the chances of Chuck failing to kill us and someone else bringing us here _without_ Chuck finding out about it?”

The excitement dissipates from Sam and it’s his turn to look out the window with disappointment. “Yeah, you’re right.”

\---

After Dean’s liquor run and Sam’s insisted grocery run (“You don’t know long we’ll be here for, Dean. We can’t just live off beer and take-out”), they arrive back at Dean’s trailer feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

Dean pops open a can of beer, slumps himself down on the couch, and turns on the plasma TV on the wall.

“This universe isn’t all that bad, you know?” Dean tells Sam with a grin. “Like it seems pretty fucking normal and apocalypse free.”

Sam knows his brother too well not to be able to distinguish between Dean’s real smiles and the one he’s currently forcing for Sam’s sake.

Sam puts the groceries away, grabs a beer for himself, and then joins Dean on the couch.

“Are you okay, Dean?”

“Not really.”

That catches Sam by surprise, he didn’t expect Dean to admit to his feelings so easily. Dean doesn’t look at Sam, but stares intently at the TV guide, flipping through all the programs as if he’s looking for something in particular.

After a moment, Dean exits the guide and turns his attention to Sam. “It’s 4 pm, isn’t it?”

Sam pulls out Jared’s phone and checks the time on the lock screen. The kids in the pictures smile at him and Sam realizes he misses them. A one-hour phone call with a group of strangers and Sam misses all of them.

“4:03 if you wanna be exact,” Sam answers Dean and quickly puts the phone away before he can give the photo another glance.

“And this is the ABC channel, right?”

Sam nods, unsure where Dean is going with this.

As if he can read Sam’s thoughts, Dean angrily points at the TV. On screen, there’s a guy in a hoodie playing basketball on a short, paved driveway. “Does this look like Dr. Sexy to you, Sam? Because in _our_ world there are Dr. Sexy reruns happening every day at 4 pm on ABC.”

A chuckle escapes Sam and Dean gives him a dirty look. “It’s not funny, Sam. What’s the point of us living a normal life, having sixty-inch plasma TVs and the time to watch shows, when the only shows playing are this garbage? I mean, what universe doesn’t have Dr. Sexy MD?”

With that, Dean chugs the rest of his bottle and shuts the TV off. “I’ll start making supper.”

Sam can only grin in response. He finishes the rest of his beer and looks outside the little window of the trailer. The rain has stopped and it’s starting to get dark out. It’s the perfect time to grab some fresh air.

Sam gets up from the couch and walks over to the door. “I’m gonna try and find Jared’s trailer. See if I can find anything useful there and get some fresh clothes.”

\---

Jared’s trailer, as it turns out, is right next to Jensen’s and they’re furnished almost exactly the same: Couch, plasma TV, wooden table, four chairs, modern kitchen, queen size bedroom, and a three fixture bathroom.

Sam does a quick sweep of the place, lingers a little bit too long on the family pictures framed on the dresser, and then decides to take a quick shower.

When Sam goes back to Jensen’s trailer, clean and dressed in fresh clothes, he finds supper already sitting on the table and Dean on the phone with someone.

Dean notices him, a ridiculously wide smile on his face as he motions Sam to take a seat.

“Jared just got here… yeah we’re having supper together… okay I will … bye sweetie I love you too.”

Sam gives him a confused look. “Who was that?”

Dean lifts his eyebrows at him and puts the phone on the counter. “My fake family.”

That basically answers all subsequent questions Sam had planned on asking. “It’s weird isn’t it?” Sam says instead, to which Dean gives a short nod.

They’re both quiet for a little while, Dean loads both their plates up with stir-fry and grabs two more beers from the fridge.

After a few bites, Dean breaks the silence. “We gotta find a way to get back to our own world, man. The people we’re supposed to be here? We don’t know what happened to the real Jensen and Jared. What if we’re possessing them, or what if we switched places with them? They could be getting tortured by Chuck as we speak.”

“I know,” Sam admits quietly. As much as he doesn’t want to think about it, Dean’s right. They need to find a way back to their own universe.

A knock on the door distracts Sam from thinking too much about his fake family and real Jared.

Dean’s jumping out of his chair and swinging the door open before Sam can even put down his fork.

From where Sam is sitting, he can’t see who’s standing outside the trailer. All Sam can see is Dean standing frozen in place, staring at whoever is there.

“Hello, Jensen.”

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ❤️ I'm still not 100% sure on how this story is going to play out so the next chapter probably won't be up until this weekend (but hopefully sooner). Any input is appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's not the weekend yet, but I neglected a few responsibilities and, with everything going on, writing this is actually very therapeutic. The word sizzling is thrown in there for extra measures. There's also a somewhat heartfelt scene I wrote while listening to jolly Christmas music so if you're not sure how to feel while reading it, that's why.

Although Dean is still in shock, some parts in his body must be registering Misha’s words because Dean’s arm pulls the door further open and his feet take a few steps back to allow Misha enough room to brush by Dean and step inside the trailer.

Sam watches his brother carefully. Dean’s nostrils flare up as Misha moves past him. Dean closes his eyes for a split second, then he shakes his head and slams the door shut. His knuckles poke out white, the grip around the knob tight enough to strangle a person.

Sam’s not the only one paying attention to Dean’s behaviour. Misha tilts his head at Sam in confusion and Sam shrugs in response, not sure how to justify Dean’s reaction. Misha sighs and little wrinkles appear on his forehead.

Back in their universe, Sam once asked Castiel how the whole vessel-without-a-host thing worked since Cas’ vessel continued to age after Jimmy died. It’s a very rare and complex process and Sam’s curiosity is peaked yet again when he takes a look at Misha under the artificial light. Misha’s stubbles are thicker than Cas’ with a hint of gray in them. Crow's feet are framing his eyes and his human skin contains a few more wrinkles and blemishes than Cas’. The most striking difference, however, lies in the clothes: Misha is dressed in dark jeans and a soft, gray hoodie.

He gives Sam a timid smile and crosses the short distance to the table. “Hello, Jared.”

It’s strange to hear Cas's voice address Sam with anything other than the shortened version of his name. The brothers have given Castiel plenty of nicknames over the years, but Cas has never returned the favor and given them one in return. It’s always been Sam and Dean, Dean and Sam. Jensen and Jared doesn’t sound right to Sam's ears.

“Hey… Misha. Thanks for coming.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. Crossing the border took a bit longer than expected.” Misha takes a seat next to Sam and longingly eyes the stir-fry on Sam’s plate.

“Hungry?” Sam gives him a teasing grin and slaps Misha companionable on the shoulder. Sam then remembers that the person next to him is technically a complete stranger to him and Sam awkwardly withdraws his hand. Then again, Gen did tell Sam on the phone that he and Misha are friends, so it might actually be perfectly normal if Sam treated Misha like he normally treats Cas. However, Jared probably doesn’t treat friendships the way Sam does so Sam might still be acting weird around Misha by treating him like a friend.

Sam sighs and rests his head in his hands. It’d be easier to just come clean to Misha and tell them who they really are, but Dean made it pretty damn clear to Sam that they would act their parts. _Not until we know we can trust him, Sam_.

His eyes still closed, Sam can hear the rattle of the fridge door opening and shutting. Must be Dean getting himself another beer.

“Everything okay?” Misha asks Sam, his voice full of worry.

Sam is quick to lift his head again and bring a smile to his lips. “I’m fine.” He motions at the pan of stir-fry sitting on the counter, “Help yourself, Dean cooked plenty-”

“Dean?”

Sam facepalms at his own stupidity and he can hear Dean groan and slam the beer can down on the table.

Misha is looking at Sam wide-eyed, the mix of shock and realization clearly written all over his face.

Slow and controlled, Dean goes to sit down across from them and he keeps his eyes stubbornly focused on the plate.

“Dean?” Misha repeats, this time his voice is filled with recognition and hope.

Dean doesn’t make eye contact with him.

Misha doesn’t stop staring. “When did you get here?”

Suddenly, Dean's face twists with rage and he slams his fist against the table, hard enough for some of his beer to spill out of the can and onto the table. “Who are you?” Dean yells, “You’re not Misha, so who the fuck are you?”

“Castiel.”

Glasses are clinging, the table starts to shake. Dean jumps out of his chair and pulls Castiel to his feet.

Dean grabs Castiel by his collar and drags him until Cas' back hits against the wall with a dull thud.

“Cas is dead, so who the fuck are you?”

The first punch lands on Cas’ jaw.

“You’re Chuck, aren’t you? You goddamn son of a bitch!”

The next punch lands in Cas’ ribs.

“Dean, stop it!” It’s Sam yelling not Cas. So much for a fucking reunion. Sam gets up from the table and tries to pull Dean away from Cas.

When Sam eventually succeeds, all three men are breathing heavily and blood is dripping from Cas’ mouth onto the laminated floor. Dean is shooting daggers at Cas who doesn’t blink once in return.

“Let’s just sit down and figure this out, okay?” Sam-the-mediator says.

Castiel nods faintly and they all return to their seats, picking up their forks again and poking away at their food.

Castiel is the first to break the silence: “When did the two of you get here?”

Dean is still giving Cas a mistrusting death stare, so Sam takes it on himself to answer the question: “Yesterday afternoon. We were with Chuck and I guess he must’ve brought us here. It was either Chuck, or someone else must have saved us just as Chuck was about to snap his fingers at us.”

“Interesting,” Cas notes slowly. “I got here yesterday morning.”

“How did you even get here? I thought the empty took you!” Dean snaps accusingly.

"It did. I'm not sure what happened. One moment I'm listening to the Empty complaining about the noise and the next moment I'm in a bed with a woman."

Dean raises an eyebrow but keeps the rest of his face completely stoic as if his life depended on him not showing any emotions. "And we’re supposed to believe that? How do we know you're not Chuck?"

“Considering God is an all-knowing being, that's not something I can easily prove."

Dean rolls his eyes and takes a bite of his cold food. Mouth full, his eyes run over Cas’ bruised face and Dean nods his head to the right: “Bathroom’s over there if you wanna wash the blood off.”

Cas takes the hint quietly and gets up.

Sam waits until they hear the bathroom door lock and the sink getting turned on before heleans over the table. “What the hell, Dean?”

“We don’t know who he is!”

“You can’t just beat the crap out of him!”

“He could be Chuck!”

“We don’t know that!”

Something, call it intuition or just desperate hope, but there’s something inside of Sam that makes him trust that the person currently occupying Misha’s body is Cas.

“Let’s just play along with it, okay? If he’s not Cas he’ll slip up eventually and we can take advantage of that.”

Dean nods unhappy but doesn’t argue with him any further.

\---

The tension between Dean and Cas over supper is not only palpable, but also extremely awkward to be in for Sam. By now you’d think he’d be used to the constant glaring and hopeful side glances but it never gets any easier to ignore.

The moment everyone’s plates are empty and the silence in the trailer can no longer be covered up with loud chewing, Sam decides it’s time to finally let out the yawns he’s been stifling all day. He hasn’t slept since they arrived in this universe, so it’s the perfect excuse for Sam to say goodnight.

“I’ll clean up. You can take the bed,” Dean nods at the open bedroom door. The sheets on the bed are rumpled and tossed carelessly over the mattress (Dean’s doing when they tore the trailed apart looking for the scripts). Otherwise, the bed is the exact replica of the one in Jared’s trailer.

“Jared’s trailer is like five feet away, Dean. I’ll just sleep in his bed and if anything strange happens tonight, we’ll both be able to hear it and get to the other right away.”

Dean doesn’t look pleased with the idea. He turns to Castiel, staring at him coldly: “What about you? You got a trailer somewhere to crash in for the night?”

It’s the first time Dean’s spoken to Cas directly since he’d punched him. Cas bites his lips and shamelessly runs his eyes over Dean’s features, drinking in the attention he’s finally getting from Dean. As if Cas hadn’t spent enough time over supper studying every single freckle on Dean’s face. Sam yawns obnoxiously loud.

“Just stay here and take the couch, Cas,” Sam instructs and gets up from the table, eager to make his exit and leave the two of them alone.

Dean gets up as well and puts a hand on Sam’s chest, holding him back. “Don’t you have a couch in your trailer?”

“Yes, but it’s not as big as the one in this trail-”

“Great, then fake feathers can stay with you.”

\---

One of the fallbacks of being friends with an angel is that they’re human behaviors are learned from observation and repeated exposure. Most of what Castiel has learned about dealing with emotions and talking about his feelings, he’s learned from Dean. As such, the walk to Jared’s trailer is filled with Castiel sulking quietly away and Sam feeling like a failed parent.

When Sam unlocks the trailer, Castiel takes a seat on the couch and doesn’t look up when Sam plops down beside him.

“You need to rest, Sam.”

“What about you? You’re human in this world, aren’t you?”

Cas nods defeatedly and leans back further into the couch. “I don’t think there’s any magic in this universe. Even when I was human in our world, I could still pick up the sudden shifts in power that would overtake the air when angels or demons were around. But here? It’s like the world has been put on mute, I don’t feel anything.”

Well, that’s reassuring. Sam hides another yawn and rubs his eyes with his knuckles.

“Do you remember anything else that happened when you got here?”

Castiel shakes his head and fixes his gaze on the coffee table. “Nothing I haven’t told you already. I got taken by the Empty and then I was brought here.”

“How long were you in the Empty for?”

It’s getting increasingly more difficult to keep his eyes open, but Sam knows he’ll be up all night generating more questions in his head if he doesn’t ask them now.

“I’m not sure. The Empty exists in a different realm where the concept of time doesn’t apply.”

“Two weeks,” Sam supplies dryly. Two weeks of waking up to finding Dean passed out on the kitchen tiles.

Cas doesn’t respond and picks up a picture frame showing Jared’s family.

“It didn’t feel real at first,” Cas begins quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the photograph. “When I first got here I thought it was the Empty messing with my head. I never thought I’d wake up one day with a wedding band on my finger and kids running around the house.”

“It's weird to suddenly have a family, right?"

Castiel puts the picture back on the table and finally makes eye contact with Sam. "I don't think I've ever been without a family. When I was in heaven, I considered the other angels my brothers, and when I sent to earth, it was always you and Dean. And now... I suppose I have a new family.”

“We’re still you’re family, Cas.”

Cas scoffs loudly at that. “You don’t even trust me to be me. The only reason you’re asking me all these questions is to test me.”

“And I’m glad I did because the real Cas would never stop seeing us as family!” Sam snaps offended. The picture of Jared’s family is mocking him and Sam picks it up to give it a dirty look. Who needs a fake family when Sam’s apparently got one right here.

“We’re still your family,” Sam says quietly, “and I… I wouldn’t read too much into Dean’s silence.”

Cas looks at him surprised. “Dean told you what I said?"

Sam’s cheeks flush involuntarily and he turns the picture over, playing with one of the metal clasps of the frame. “I, uh, I read the script. Everything we’ve ever done is pretty much word-for-word in there.”

“Well, then you know how Dean reacted.” The crisp dismissal in Cas’ voice is another custom he must've learned from Dean.

Sam sighs and gets up, putting the picture facedown on the table.

“Goodnight, Cas.”

If it’s really Chuck pretending to be Cas, Sam highly doubts they’re going to find out before it’s too late.

“Goodnight, Sam.”

\---

Sam wakes up the next morning with the feeling you get after a vivid dream and it takes a few minutes to sort out which memories are real and which ones are just part of the dream.

Sam’s ready to throw everything in the Dream category but then he opens his eyes and finds himself in a small bedroom and every memory gets dramatically pushed into the Real category.

He gets up and walks out to the living area where he finds Castiel already awake and showered sitting on the couch.

“Dean texted me that he’s making breakfast,” Cas informs him in lieu of a good morning.

All their groceries are still in Jensen’s trailer so it makes sense to have breakfast there. Sam quickly heads back to the bedroom and pulls out some fresh clothes from the closet.

“Should I text him back that we’re coming?” Cas calls after him.

“I’m gonna grab a shower first, but you can head over there now if you’re ready.”

“I can wait for you.”

Sam rolls his eyes and makes his way to the bathroom. “I can’t get into Jared’s phone so you still gotta text him, Cas.”

There’s a pause. “Well, that explains why he texted me.”

\---

Jensen’s trailer welcomes Sam with the smell of bacon, eggs, and toast.

“Mornin’ Sammy” Dean grins and hands him a cup of coffee. Dean pointedly doesn’t look or address Cas.

“There’s more coffee in the pot,” Dean says to no one in particular before he goes back to the stove to flip the sizzling bacon in the pan.

Castiel scoffs loudly and walks over to the coffee machine that’s sitting next to the stove on the counter. Once Cas is there, however, something catches Cas' attention and he crouches down.

“Hey, little creature,” Cas coos softly.

Dean forgets about the bacon and watches Cas gently pick up the insect until it's cradled securely in its palm. Slowly, Cas stands up again and walks over to the door to let the insect out.

Dean goes back to flipping the bacon but stops again when Cas comes back to fill himself a cup of coffee.

“That was a very Cas thing to do,” Dean notes quietly. Sam almost doesn't catch those words, not used to Dean speaking so softly.

Cas, however, hears them loud and clear and he turns to face Dean, fast enough to catch Dean's side-glance and force him to make eye contact.

“I am who I say I am.”

Dean is quick to look away and bite his lips. He hangs his head defeatedly and turns the stove off.

“I know, Cas. As soon as I saw you, I knew.”

\---


	4. Chapter 4

Castiel opens his mouth, but before he can give Dean a response, there’s a knock on the door that makes him close it again and break eye contact with Dean in order to glance at the door.

Sam is leaning against the dining table and, being the closest to, he goes to open the trailer door.

“Hiya Jared,” Alex greets with a wave and a big, happy smile. “Is Misha here yet?”

Without waiting for Sam’s answer, Alex walks straight past Sam and inside. His eyes immediately fall on Cas and Dean, not failing to take in the close proximity in which the two are standing to another in the kitchen.

“Andrew said he wanted to see you, Mish,” Alex tells Cas sharply, the big smile he gave Sam completely washed off his face.

“I’ll stop by his office later.”

“No! You need to come now!”

Cas’ eyes flicker to Dean, his expression unsure. Dean, ever so slightly, nods his head and Cas leaves the trailer with Alex.

“That was weird,” Dean notes as soon as the trailer door shuts behind the other two.

Sam definitely agrees, but there’s something else he wants to discuss with Dean first.

“So we’re gonna talk about you and Cas, or what?”

Dean rolls his eyes and turns back to the stove. He grabs two plates from the counter and starts loading both up with bacon.

“Nothing to talk about,” Dean dismisses with his back still turned to Sam.

“Right,” Sam scoffs. “So Cas gives you a love confession that ends with him sacrificing himself for you and there’s absolutely _nothing_ you have to say about that?”

Dean ignores his comment and carries both of their plates to the table. Sam looks at him pointedly until Dean sighs and rolls his eyes again.

“What do you want me to say? I didn’t even get to say it back to him, Sammy.”

“You do now.”

Dean bites his lip in contemplation. He sits down and starts eating his breakfast in silence.

After a minute, Sam gives up and joins him.

“You really think it’s the real Cas?” Sam asks, switching the topic just enough to get Dean to respond.

Dean nods, mouth full of bacon and toast. “If it was Chuck pretending to be him he wouldn’t have just taken the beating and punched me back. After all, it’s Chuck we’re talking about. Dude’s on a power trip if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Yeah, you’re right. So what’s the plan?”

Dean shrugs and swallows down more food. “I don’t know, man. I mean, we don’t even know what’s going to happen when we get back to our world. Cas might be thrown back into the Empty for all we know.”

A smirk appears on Sam’s face and he takes a big bite of his toast. “I think I might have an idea.”

\---

When Sam and Dean arrive at Andrew’s office, Andrew isn’t there, but they find Alex and Castiel arguing about something in hushed voices.

“We interrupting something?” Dean grins and walks over to Cas, casually throwing an arm over Cas’ shoulder.

“No,” Castiel shakes his head but narrows his eyes and stares at Alex with a strange expression on his face.

Dean and pulls Cas closer to him. “Listen, buddy, can I talk to you in private for a moment?”

They leave Sam alone in the office with Alex.

“Heard production’s gonna be delayed again today,” Alex notes.

Sam nods in response and tries to look disappointed. Truth be told, Sam’s fucking glad they’ve put a hold on filming. When Sam was younger, he’d tried to get involved in theatre, but with John dragging them from one state to the next every few months, Sam had never landed more than a minor role that could easily be added or erased, depending on when Sam arrived or had to leave again. If acting in a production play was anything like the torture he and Dean were put through the last time they had to pretend to be themselves, then Sam is almost thankful to John for never making Sam go through that hell voluntarily.

“So what did Andrew want to talk to Misha about?” Sam asks, remembering the way Alex had lost his shit around them earlier.

“Just, uh, just some stuff.” Alex dodges the question and picks up a retractable pen from Andrew’s desk. He clicks it open, then clicks it again to retract it.

_Click. Click. Click. Click._

Sam balls his hands into his fists.

“Alex?”

“Hm?”

“Do you uhm mind putting the pen down?” Sam gives him his nicest bitchface.

Thankfully, Dean comes back with Cas just then and Sam turns to Dean.

“How’d it go?” Sam asks.

Before Dean can say anything else, the door bursts open a second time. This time, Andrew walks in.

“Good news, folks: Equipment’s back to working again and we’re ready to start shooting. Jen, Misha, head over to make-up and get ready.”

Sam might not be an expert in film production, but he's pretty sure actors send to makeup are meant to film a scene afterwards.

"I thought Cas wasn't in the episode,” Sam points out.

Andrew looks at him confused, then his face changes and he points a finger at Sam. "HA! Good one. Two episodes left and you think we should just leave Cas in the empty? HA!"

All four of them give Andrew an odd stare.

Cas decides to switch his gaze over to Sam, shooting him a puppy-eyed, pleading look to get him out of this.

"He can't!” Sam exclaims, “He uhm, he hasn’t memorized his lines yet."

"I lost my script,” Cas explains.

Andrew sighs and pulls something out of his jacket pocket. "Here, take mine," he says full of judgment. Instead of Castiel, Dean is the one to take the loose pages from him.

Just then, Andrew's phone rings loudly and he pulls it out of his jeans pocket. "Excuse me, guys, but I gotta take this."

Andrew disappears back into the hallway and Dean starts flipping through the pages of the script. With every page, the wrinkles on Dean's forehead deepen and his mouth is slightly agape until he reaches the last page completely wide-eyed and mouth open in shock.

"What the-" Dean turns to look at Cas.

Sam and Alex both walk over to peek over Dean's shoulder to read the script.

"That can't be right," Alex mutters and rips a random page from the script out of Dean's hand. "No, that's impossible."

Sam's heart is beating fast enough that he thinks it might explode in his chest. Dean's face has turned completely white while Alex keeps whispering _no, no, no_. Whatever's in the script can't be good.

Sam grabs a page from Dean as well and begins to read:

_Jack begins to slowly walk up to Chuck while Chuck continuously snaps his finger, getting more and more frantic every time. Chuck realizes he can’t use his powers against Jack and Chuck begins to shake with fear the closer Jack gets. Jack reaches out his hands, about to grab Chuck's face when Chuck sinks to his knees._

_CHUCK Please, I'll do anything. Please guys. You don't want to do this, Jack. You're not a monster._

_JACK No, I'm not. But I kill monsters. Monsters like you._

_Chuck begins to sob. He's trapped in a corner and his powers are useless. Chuck looks up and turns to Dean. A smile appears on Chuck's face. He's found his way out._

_CHUCK You need me. I'm the only one who knows how to beat the Empty. Kill me and you'll never see your Castiel again._

_SAM We won't kill you. We're not the killers you want us to be._

_Chuck’s smile disappears. His fear takes over again and he anxiously looks between the two brothers and Jack._

_CHUCK Then what are you going to do with me?_

_Dean and Sam exchange a glance and chuckle darkly._

_SAM Strip you of your powers ‘til you’re trapped in this body as nothing more than an insignificant human whose destined to live a sad, lonely life and to die with not a single person remembering you._

_Chuck is angry and desperate. He gets up and walks over to Dean._

_CHUCK You do that and you'll never see Castiel again._

Just as Sam finishes reading the page, the door opens and Andrew walks back in.

Andrew’s eyes scan the room and settle on Dean and Cas. He claps his hands as if to cheer them on. “Chop, chop, guys. Let’s try to get the scene filmed before production shuts down again.”

Castiel shoots Sam another look begging him to get him out of this. Sam shrugs at him uselessly in response.

Cas’ expression changes to full-on disappointment at Sam, then Cas seems to have a better idea and he turns to Andrew.

“I don’t feel good,” Cas states and holds a hand to his stomach for extra effects.

“Take some painkillers,” Andrew advises mercilessly, his tone clearly indicates there’s no room for any excuses not to film today. “Jared, go to makeup with them. If Misha throws up we’ll just film the scene between Sam and Dean.”

“Wait what?” Sam does _not_ want to film any scene. He gives Cas a nasty look.

Andrew claps his hands again: “Let’s go, we don’t have all day. Alex, you stay here, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

\----

“Next time, take one for the team, Cas,” Sam hisses when they finally locate the trailer that says _Make-Up_ on the door.

Sam pointedly holds the door open for them and is the last to enter the trailer after Dean.

“So what do you think is up with the new script,” Dean asks him, keeping his voice low.

Before Sam can answer, a woman grabs him and pulls him into a chair. She immediately starts brushing his hair and slapping something cold and wet on his face.

“I’m gonna miss getting you boys pretty. Glad shooting’s back though,” the woman says conversationally and Sam gives her a polite smile.

Next to him, Cas is getting his hair tousled up and Dean, at the end of the trailer, is getting his stubbles shaved off.

The only thing Sam can think to do in this situation is to close his eyes and hope it’ll be over soon.

Admittedly, it actually feels very nice. The cream on Sam’s face is cool and refreshing and whatever’s been put into his hair smells amazing. The woman’s hands on his face are soft and gentle. Although Sam’s never been to a spa, he imagines this is the closest he’ll ever come to it.

“First time I don’t see you boys going over the lines before a shoot,” the woman mentions, directing her comment to all three of them.

Sam’s eyes snap open. _Shit._ He’d completely forgotten about the stupid script.

“I actually left the script in my trailer. I should go get it,” Sam lies and makes an attempt to escape out of the chair.

The woman pushes him right back in and hands him a stack of paper. “Shoshannah left this here, just borrow hers.”

Sam accepts the script and starts going over each scene. As he reads through it, he occasionally stops to shoot Dean and Cas a look that is full of questions. The scene that made Dean turn pale is at the very end of the script. Very graphic, very detailed. Sam feels uncomfortable and squeamishly twists around in his chair, much to the woman’s annoyance. He very much hopes this isn’t the Dean and Cas scene Andrew said they were going to film today. Sam does _not_ want to present for it.

\---

Dressed in their usual plaid and leaving a trail of cosmetic products behind them with every step, Sam makes sure that Cas is the first person to enter through the door that leads to today’s set.

Before Dean can follow him, Sam grabs his brother by the arm to stop him.

“Just what the hell did you tell Cas?”

Dean blushes and looks away. “Private, Sammy. Why do you think we left the room?”

Sam huffs. He’s pretty sure Dean’s boundaries of privacy were demolished the moment the script was written.

“Whatever you said to him must’ve changed the script!”

Dean gives him a curious look. “What do you mean?”

“Well, think about it! What if the script doesn’t determine what happens in our universe. What if it’s the other way around? That whatever happens in our universe gets put into the script?”

“Okaaay, but what’s that to do with me and Cas?”

Sam rolls his eyes, his excitement causing him to be impatient. “Whatever you told him must’ve changed something. I mean, in the first script Cas wasn’t mentioned at all but now that he’s here-”

“He’s back in the script. Which means he’ll be back in our world,” Dean finishes with a grin.

“Bingo.”

\---


	5. Chapter 5

“Jared, what are you doing here? We’re not shooting your scene until this afternoon.”

“I’m just here as a back-up.” Sam tries to shoot Cas another dirty look but Cas has his back turned to him, busy talking to a man who seems to be giving him instructions.

Someone grabs Sam by the arm and redirects him behind the cameras to a row of fold-out chairs. There are eight chairs in total, with about six feet between each one and Sam sinks down in the chair that’s closest to the wall.

From where he’s sitting, Sam can see all the markings taped on the floor and Dean standing awkwardly in the midst of it. Castiel is still standing in the back corner, hidden from the cameras’ view.

“Jensen, slight change in the script: Before we film the rescue scene, we’re gonna add a scene where Dean runs around the Empty looking for Castiel. Just follow the arrows and we should get this done in one take.”

Dean nods nervously at the woman and gulps at the sight of two dozen arrows taped on the floor, pointing in all various directions. Sam wonders if this is the norm in this world, following arrows. He’s seen them everywhere, the supermarket, the liquor store, the studio. Sam’s not sure what the point of them is and makes a mental note to ask Clif about them later.

The crew does a quick off-camera run-through with Dean, and Sam busies himself reading over the script again.

_SAM: Goodbye, Chuck_

_Sam, Dean, and Jack start walking away from Chuck._

_Chuck is on his knees. Being human, he feels for the first what it’s like to be scared and he chokes down a sob._

_CHUCK: Guys, guys, please wait! You can’t just walk away!_

_They continue walking away, not looking back._

_In the Impala, Dean turns to the back seat to look at Jack._

_DEAN: So you gonna get Cas out, right?_

_Jack avoids eye contact, ashamed to disappoint Dean yet again._

_JACK: I think Chuck was right. I don’t know how to get Cas back without having to physically go into the Empty myself_

_SAM: What about everyone else that Chuck vanished?_

_JACK: I can bring them back. Chuck sent them away, but they’re still in this world._

_DEAN: Awesome. You two, go get everyone back_ . _Jack, you’re gonna send me down there to find Cas._

Following that scene, there’s a full page of the three arguing over who will go down to the Empty. Sam skims over it and briefly wonders if that’s how he actually talks. _Sam grabs Dean by the shoulder and gives him a puppy-eyed look. SAM You cannot go to the Empty alone, Dean, it’s simply too risky!_

**“Scene 14, Take 1.”**

Sam puts the script down and bites back a laugh as he watches Dean running determinedly from arrow to arrow like he’s taking part in a life-or-death obstacle course.

“CUT! Jensen, you’re supposed to be searching for Cas. Stop looking at the floor like you’re worried about tripping on something.”

\---

Seven takes later, Dean flawlessly runs from one arrow to the next and the final cut is called.

“Perfect Jensen! That was great. Let's take a quick break and set up for the next scene.”

Dean strides over to Sam with a big grin on his face. “Hear that? I think I’m getting pretty good at this.”

“Yeah okay, Hollywood,” Sam scoffs with a tang of jealousy. If Sam’s scene this afternoon is going to take more than seven takes, Dean’s never going to let him hear the end of it.

“So what’s the next scene?” Dean grabs the script out of Sam’s hands and plumps himself down in the chair closest to Sam.

Dean’s eyes flicker left and right, reading over the lines he’s about to say in front of everyone.

“Oh, _hell_ no.”

“I’ll bake you a pie if you can do it in seven takes,” Sam teases with Schadenfreude. That’s not to say he doesn’t feel bad for Dean, because Sam would probably die of embarrassment if he was in Dean’s shoes right now. However, sympathy pushed aside, if Dean messes up often enough, Sam reckons there’s a good chance they won’t have time to film Sam’s scene this afternoon.

“Jensen, Misha, let’s get in position.”

Dean groans and gets up from his chair, taking the script with him and stuffing it in his back pocket.

“You go, Romeo,” Sam calls after him supportively and watches as Dean stiffly walks over to the big, green X taped on the floor.

\---

**“Scene 15, Take 1.”**

“Dean! What are you doing here?” Cas exclaims and walks over to the blue X that’s inches away from where Dean is standing.

Dean stares at Cas in complete bewilderment. “I, uh, I-”

“CUT!”

Dean fishes the script back out and reads over his first line again. Sam watches Dean mouth the words and, okay, Sam is starting to feel a bit bad for Dean.

**“Scene 15, Take 2.”**

“Dean! What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to save you, you stupid son-of-a-bitch.”

“Okay.”

“CUT! Misha this isn’t improv, say your goddamn line.”

**“Scene 15, Take 12.”**

“I’m here to save you, you stupid son-of-a-bitch.”

“But.. why? How did you even find me?”

“Jack, he beat Chuck. We’re finally free, Cas.”

Cas awkwardly grabs Dean by the arm and pulls him over to the next set of X’s on the floor.

“Let’s go, we don’t have much time before the Empty finds out you’re here.”

Dean stops walking when they stand on top of the two markings. “Cas, wait, there’s something I gotta say to you. Something I didn’t get the chance to say before the Shadow, I mean, the uhh, the _Empty_ took you and _uh_ -”

Dean pauses and looks up at the ceiling, trying to remember his next line.

“CUT!”

**“Scene 15, Take 18.”**

“Something I didn’t get the chance to say before the Empty took you. Something I should’ve said to you a long time ago,” Dean fumbles and bites down on his lip. “I _uh_ -”

“CUT! Misha, you’re not supposed to be scared!”

Dean exhales deeply and a woman rushes over to apply more make-up on Dean’s ever reddening cheeks.

**“Scene 15, Take 25.”**

“Something I should’ve said to you a long time ago. I care about you, Cas. I know I haven’t always shown it and I don’t blame you if your feelings for me have changed-”

Dean bites his lip and turns away from Cas's boring stare and Dean makes a face at Sam.

“This is stupid,” Dean announces loudly to the rest of the crew. “I would never say anything so fucking cheesy and cliché.”

“Well, last time I checked you’re not the scriptwriter of this show, Jensen. If you want to get this scene over with so badly, then I suggest you start saying your goddamn lines already.”

**“Scene 15, Take 31.”**

“CUT! Jensen quit stuttering!”

“Jared?” Sam turns to look at a woman waving him over to the side. He gets off his chair and walks over to her.

“We’re ready to film the scene between Sam and Eileen now if you want to follow me to the other set.”

_Eileen_. Sam wonders if it’s really her or just the actress playing Eileen. Sam reckons that if Castiel was brought here from the Empty, then there’s a good chance Eileen will be here too.

Sam gets up from his chair and follows the woman out of _Studio #1._ As they walk together in silence, Sam keeps his fingers crossed and tries his best not to get his hopes up.

\---

As soon as Sam steps into _Studio #2_ , a new copy of the script is pushed into his hands. Sam barely glances at it and stuffs it into his jacket pocket while he scans the room for Eileen.

Sam’s heart begins to beat faster and his palms become warm and sweaty. He pushes his hands into his jeans pocket and walks over to the set of brunette hair Sam has gone far too many days without seeing.

Before Sam can reach her, however, all the lights turn off and the room momentarily turns pitch black. An amplified echo of groans and sighs follows.

“What happened?” Sam asks the darkness.

“Equipment’s down again, _fuck_. At this rate, we won’t finish this show until next year.”

The relief Sam feels at not having to act vanishes completely when the lights turn back on and Eileen is nowhere in sight.

Sam must look utterly lost because someone grabs him to the exit. “You’re good to go back to your trailer, Jared. Heard Misha and Jensen are pulling some sort of prank in the other studio, so if you wanna talk some sense into them and go over the lines with them, you’d be doing all of us a big favor.”

Sam nods obediently and walks back to _Studio #1_.

He finds Dean and Cas busy talking to someone from the tech crew and Sam decides to wait outside. Not knowing anyone and not having his phone on him, Sam pulls out the script again to kill the time.

He randomly flips through the script when his eyes catch _Scene 15_. In disbelief, Sam navigates back to the front page to make sure it’s the same episode Dean and Cas had just filmed. Scene 15 is NOT what it used to be. Sam goes over each scene, his heart beating fast and faster with every new scene that had not been in the script before.

“What the actual fuck?” Sam mutters to himself before he runs over to Dean and Castiel.

Dean notices Sam’s pale face and stops talking to the technician. “You okay?”

“We need to talk.”

\---

They don’t bother to knock first before storming into Andrew’s office.

Sam is the first to yell: “What the fuck?”

Andrew glances up from his desks and gives them an annoyed _what-now_ look. “Jared, Jensen, Misha, so good to see you all so soon again. But, aren’t you supposed to be filming?”

“Production was shut down,” Castiel informs him and Andrew sighs in response.

“I filmed Scene 14, though,” Dean tells him proudly. “Only took me seven takes.”

Andrew grabs a copy of the script from his desk and studies it.

“You’re not in Scene 14, Jensen,” Andrew tells him sternly.

“Wait, what?”

“You’re not in that scene. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dean’s eyes widen and he balls his hands into fists. “But I… I shot that scene! It was amazing. I put my heart and soul into that scene!”

Andrew shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m sure you did great, but whatever you think you filmed isn’t going to make it into the episode. Heard today was a complete bust.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“Should’ve filmed it on your phone for safekeeping if you liked it so much,” Andrew mutters quietly and rolls his eyes.

“But the current script, it’s not actually how the show’s going to end, is it?” Sam interferes, changing the topic to the reason they burst into Andrew’s office in the first place.

Andrew’s entire face lights up. “It’s great, isn’t it? Definitely not an ending you expected, am I right?”

“Yes, because it’s terrible!”

Andrew looks personally offended. “I think it’s a great plot twist and so does the network.”

Castiel takes a threatening step forward and looks down at Andrew who’s still sitting in his chair. “Why would Jack ever want to kill Dean and Sam?”

That question seems to fill Andrew up with excitement and he jumps out of his chair and starts pacing around the room like a ball full of energy. “He doesn’t! You see, it’s an accident, like when we killed off Mary. Jack is so guilt-ridden he then hides in another universe and Chuck goes back to being a BAMF god. Genius, right? And it allows us to make Destiel happen without having to pull Castiel from the Empty. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

“So Jack kills us and Dean ends up living happily-ever-after with Cas in the Empty?” Sam cries out, not believing that this is actually happening.

Andrew nods gaily. “Tragedy meets long-shipped pairing.”

“What about Sam and Eileen?!”

Andrew shrugs his shoulders. “Chuck killed Eileen and when Jack makes Dean and Sam explode, Sam goes to hell. Not sure we can swing that around.” After a moment of internal debate, Andrew looks at Sam. “Although, there’s something we can do!”

“What’s that?” Sam’s heart begins to beat faster with hope.

“We can get Sam to meet Rowena in hell and Rowena can mention that Eileen went to hell too! So they’re technically getting a happy ending as well.”

Sam groans and sinks down in one of the smaller chairs in Andrew’s office. After a moment, Dean follows and they both ponder defeatedly in their chairs, trying to come up with a way to get them out of this.

If this is going to be their ending, Sam would rather just spend the rest of his life pretending to be Jared Padalecki and stay trapped in this universe.

“Didn’t the Empty take me and Billie at the same time?” Cas asks Dean, to which Dean nods. “So there’s currently no Death in our world if Chuck made everyone disappear.”

Something clicks inside Sam’s brain while Dean’s eyes light up at the same time.

“Cas, I could kiss you right now, you beautiful bastard.”

Castiel blushes and smiles timidly at Dean in return.

“You hear that, Andrew?” Sam says loudly and twists around in his chair to look at Andrew. “The script doesn’t make sense. If Billie’s in the Empty and Lucifer killed the last reaper then it’s impossible for anyone to die!”

Andrew’s face visibly falters and Sam smirks victoriously.

“Well good thing we didn’t fucking start shooting anything yet,” Andrew mutters sarcastically and goes back to sit in his chair, grabbing a red pen and striking through half of the script.

\---

“What do you think the next script will be?” Dean asks Sam when they’re back in Jensen’s trailer.

Sam walks over to the kitchen area and starts going through the fridge. They’d skipped out on lunch and his stomach is rumbling. “I don’t know, but it can’t be worse than the last one.”

“True,” Dean ducks under Sam’s arm and grabs a beer from the fridge. “Cas, you want one?”

“I’m okay.”

Sam successfully locates the hummus he’d bought yesterday and puts it on the counter. “What I don’t get is, why did the script change in the first place?”

Dean shrugs and joins Cas at the table. “Maybe it wasn’t anything we did.”

“You think it was Chuck?”

Dean takes a long sip of his beer in response. It’s Castiel’s turn to give Sam a verbal answer: “The script still ends with Dean and me together, albeit not as explicitly.” At those words, Dean starts to choke on his beer, which Cas habitually ignores and continues: “I don’t think it was us changing the script, Sam.”

“Then it must’ve been Chuck. Sam didn’t do anything but sit and watch us all day,” Dean says in his little brother’s defence. “Did you get a chance to talk to Eileen yet?”

Sam shakes his head and recaps what happened in Studio #2.

“Fucking weird man,” is all Dean has to say and they shortly have lunch after that and then Dean is researching on Jensen’s laptop and Cas is examining the script for anything useful. Sam’s not doing anything, which is weird, because it’s Sam. A sudden drowsiness has taken over his body and he sprawls himself out on the couch and rests his eyes.

Before Sam can even _think_ of falling asleep, there’s a knock on the door and Sam jumps off the couch.

Dean, however, gets to the door first, beer in one hand and opening the door with the other. “Oh hey, uhm, _you_. C’mon in.”

“It’s me, Dean. I’m not the real Shoshannah.”

The heaviness Sam has felt over the last few days vanishes completely at the sight of Eileen stepping into the trailer.

Dean shuts the door behind her and takes a long sip. “Wait, so you’re you? How do you know we’re us?”

Eileen grins at him teasingly, “Your acting skills this morning did not go unnoticed.”

“But they’ve gone into oblivion,” Dean adds grimly. “All that runnin’ around those stupid arrows for nothing.”

Eileen’s face is overcome with confusion and she turns to Sam for help. Sam gives her an unsure smile in return. He didn’t expect _his_ Eileen to be here. Hell, Sam still hasn’t fully grasped the fact that they’re in this universe, let alone have Eileen suddenly appear in front of him. It’s making Sam’s head spin.

“You wanna go for a walk?” Sam suggests, needing the fresh air and wanting to talk to Eileen in private.

The two of them leave the trailer and the first few minutes are filled with the crunching of their footsteps in the gravel as they walk around the deserted studio grounds.

There’s a slight breeze in the wind and it helps Sam straighten out his thoughts. It mostly helps him focus on the fact that Eileen is here, _alive_ , _with him_. The memory of Dean speeding to Eileen’s place, the promised text they’ll be there soon, it feels like a nightmare Sam has finally woken up from.

“It’s crazy isn’t it?” Eileen is the first to break the silence. “This world… it reminds me of the time before I met you, when I thought things were so much simpler.”

Sam stuffs his hands into his pockets and keeps his eyes on the ground. “I’m sorry, Eileen.”

“What are you sorry for Sam? It’s over now, we’re in a better world again.”

Sam stops walking and turns to face her. “You know we can’t stay here, right?”

“Why not?”

Sam doesn’t want to believe that this is happening. He holds up his hand and shows the ring on his finger. “Well, for once, we’re both married. And secondly, this isn’t our world. We can’t just stay here. We don’t belong here.”

Eileen huffs out a disbelieving laugh. “So we’re just going to fight to go back to a world that’s trying to kill us? Are you even listening to yourself, Sam? This is our second chance.”

“Or maybe it’s just Chuck fucking with our heads again! We don’t even know if any of this is real,” Sam points out heatedly.

Eileen rolls her eyes. “Oh give me a break, Sam. Why can’t you just be happy for once? We can finally be together in this world without worrying about hunting anything, without _being_ hunted.”

A little voice in Sam’s head tries to tell him that she’s right. With both Eileen and Cas here, they could start fresh. For a moment, Sam doesn’t think about Jack or Bobby or Jody or Donna or anyone else for that matter who’s still trapped and vanished by Chuck in their world. For a moment, Sam believes that Dean, Cas, and Eileen are all Sam needs to be okay.

“So what do you say?” Eileen takes a step closer and takes hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together. Sam closes his eyes and gives in to the sensation. Eileen’s touch is light, her skin a bit cold from the breeze, and Sam tightens his grip to warm them.

Fuck, Sam’s missed this. He and Eileen being together like this, just a normal couple out for a stroll, holding hands. They could have this moment every day in this world.

Sam glances down at their entwined fingers and the way the wedding band on his ring finger sparkles in the sun. The guilt Sam feels at the sight is overshadowed by something worse.

“Hey, where’s your ring?” Sam asks, forcing himself to sound casual. “The actress- Shoshannah, she’s married in this world.”

“So?” Eileen takes another step forward. “He’s not _my_ husband. I want to be with you, Sam.”

Sam lets go of her hand and stumbles backwards. Eileen gives him a concerned look.

“Sam?”

“Sam?”

“SAM!”

It’s dark again and Sam feels his whole body being shaken.

_SAM._ It’s not Eileen’s voice.

Sam opens his eyes and the sudden brightness of light makes him blink them shut again.

“Sam, man, you’re okay?”

It’s Dean. Sam can feel his brother’s hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake.

It takes a moment for Sam to process what just happened, where he is. Once he does, Sam swats Dean’s hand away and stands up, smashing the first thing he sees by throwing it on the ground. All the anger flows through his body at once and the punch he delivers to the nearest wall leaves a dent in the trailer.

“I’m gonna kill him.”

Dean gives him a funny look like Sam’s finally lost it. “Kill who?”

“Chuck. He’s still controlling our fucking minds, Dean, even in this world.”

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The two things I really wanted to have in this fic were bad acting and the script being changed to something worse than canon. The good news is, I finally figured out the actual ending and it looks like the story is going to wrap itself up in the next chapter or so. Thanks for reading ❤️


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's that? A hat. Crazy, funky, junky hat? No, it's a chapter full of fluff! I'm procrastinating writing the ending of this so there's a final chapter coming at some point to you in the near future. For now, I've decided that Dean put "Thank You" on his Led Zeppelin mixtape. There's a reference to it in this chapter so I would give the lyrics a quick read-through. I also never wrote an actual script in my life and the reason there are so many script scenes in this fic is because I wanted to have Dean/Cas moments without changing perspectives or having Sam present. I didn't really think that through when I started this story but it is what it is now, I guess.

“Dean?”

“Not now, Cas. Sam, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Chuck. He came into my dream pretending to be Eileen.”

“Dean?”

“Are you sure it was Chuck?”

“Dean!”

“What?” Dean spins around to where Cas is still sitting at the table.

The script Cas has been studying for the past hour is frantically waved in the air and Cas looks at them with a grave expression on his face.

“The script has changed again.”

“Gimme that,” Dean snaps but doesn’t actually try to take the script from Castiel. Instead, Dean walks behind the back of Cas’ chair and reads the first scene over Cas’ shoulder.

“Motherfu-”

“What is it?” Sam’s anger at Chuck is temporarily thrown off by curiosity and he goes to stand next to Dean and looms over Cas’ other shoulder.

_SAM: Bring them back, Chuck!_

_CHUCK: And why would I do that? People belong in their OG universes, Sam. Don’t tell me you two would be happy if I just sent you to a different universe and kept you there forever._

_SAM: Those people came from a warzone! They took refuge in this world._

_Chuck begins to laugh maliciously. Even though the Winchesters have him trapped he is not worried._

_CHUCK:_ _You think your world is any better? What if I gave you a universe with no magic, no monsters? Would you still want to come back to this world?_

_Sam takes an unsure step back, rethinking his decision. The first wave of doubt crosses his mind. He looks at Dean for confirmation._

_DEAN: This IS our home_

_Chuck’s smile widens. His plan is going just as he’d expected it would._

_CHUCK: Exactly. It’s time to restore things to their natural order._

_Chuck snaps his fingers and everything goes black._

_Man’s voice: Goddammit!_

_The lights flicker for a moment before neon brightness fills the beach. A film crew is standing around Sam and Dean, all camera’s pointing at the boys. Chuck smiles at Sam and Dean, then he and Alex are seen walking towards a black SUV._

_Sam looks around himself and hesitantly walks over to Dean._

_SAM: Somehow I’m getting a strange sense of déjà vu here, Dean._

_DEAN: Yeah, I know what you mean._

Sam’s face pales with a mix of anger and worry.

“What the fuck?” Sam exclaims in disbelief. There’s an urge to grab the script out of Cas’ hands and flip through the next pages but that’d be useless. Sam balls his hands into fists instead. They know the rest of this story anyway.

Dean mumbles something and walks over to the kitchen. He opens the upper cabinet that’s next to the fridge and grabs one of the three bottles of whiskey they got at the liquor store.

“At least we know now that Chuck is definitely behind all of this,” Cas says and watches Dean take a big swig straight from the bottle.

“Such a relief,” Dean comments sarcastically and puts the bottle back on his lips for round two. “Let me guess, the script ends with us reading it.”

“So what, we’re stuck in an infinite loop? How’s that even possible?” Sam asks while Cas flips to the end of the script.

“It’s not,” Cas answers him, eyes quickly reading over each line. “Our future is already written in the script.”

\---

Before Sam even dares to read through the rest of the script, he goes back to Jared’s trailer to take a quick shower and _not_ think about his stupid Chuck-infused dream.

“Script changes every five minutes anyway,” Sam tells a protesting Dean before leaving Jensen’s trailer.

As warm and physically relaxing as the hot water on his skin feels, however, Sam’s thoughts are anything but. After just two minutes, Sam dries himself off with a towel and slips into a pair of sweatpants before settling on the couch.

There’s a copy of the script waiting for him on the coffee table and Sam picks it up with a sigh. Supernatural 15x19 _Carry On - Part 1._ Huh. Sam puts the script back down and searches the trailer for the 15x20 script, _Carry On – Part 2_.

He could’ve sworn he left a copy of it on the table yesterday but Sam can’t find the script for the finale anywhere. He’ll have to check with Dean later and see if he might’ve left it in Jensen’s trailer.

Sam skims over the first half of the script, which is just a highlight reel of their past couple of days in this universe. Dean’s private conversation with Cas outside of Andrew’s office didn’t make it into the script, but Sam is _beyond_ delighted to find his nightmare replaying itself near the end of the fourth act. The “act” then skips to Sam leaving and Dean and Cas having a conversation alone in Jensen’s trailer.

_Cas gets up with the script in hand and walks over to stand across from Dean._

_CAS: Dean, do you really mean what’s written in here?_

_Dean shrugs and ignores the script Cas is trying to give to him. He leans against the kitchen counter and takes a long sip from the bottle of whiskey._

_DEAN: You heard what Sam said. Whatever’s in there is probably just Chuck fucking with our heads and making us say things. _

_Cas lowers his gaze and steps away from Dean._

_CAS: I understand._

_Dean begins to chuckle darkly at the irony of it all._

_DEAN: Do you? Cause I friggin’ don’t. What’s it say in the script, anyway?_

_Cas looks away and tries to act casual._

_CAS: Nothing of import._

_Dean puts the bottle down on the counter and takes the script from Cas. He scans the last few pages and rolls his eyes._

_DEAN: Is there ANY version of this where I DON’T confess my love to you?_

_Dean realizes what he said and hastily puts the script on the counter next to the bottle._

_DEAN: Shit Cas, I’m sorry that’s not what I meant. I just- I don’t want to-. Not with Chuck still controlling us._

_CAS: Dean, everything I said to you back in the bunker is true._ _Chuck didn't make me say any of it._

_Dean bites his lips and looks around the trailer before his eyes fall back on Cas._

_DEAN: But how do you know? He made me pull a gun on Sammy, Cas. And you and me… it’s been in every script since we got here. You really don’t think Chuck doesn’t have a hand in this?_

_More confident this time, Cas takes a step forward and searches Dean’s face._

_CAS: I’ve worshipped God for most of my existence. I was there for every great love story created. Adam and Eve, Ruth and Boaz, Cleopatra and Anthony, Cain and Colette. Dean, for thousands of years I’ve watched humans fall in love not understanding what it meant. Ever since I came to earth, ever since I met you, I started to feel things. I began to understand the difference between worship and love. What I feel for you Dean, I don’t think it’s something Chuck is capable of creating._

_Dean stares at Cas and swallows audibly._ _Dean's eyes trail over Cas' features, taking in his blue eyes, nose, full lips. A low chuckle escapes him._

_DEAN: Well, Cas, if the sun refused to shine…_

_Dean gives him a shy smile as Cas tilts his head at him in confusion. Cas has heard those words before, he just can’t remember from where._

_DEAN: When mountains crumble to the sea..._

_Cas smiles, finally realizing what Dean is trying to tell him._

_Silence emerges and Dean nervously begins to play with the hem of Cas’ trench coat. Minutes pass by where neither of them moves._

_DEAN: This might be a dumb question, but- uh. Well, if I asked you- If I asked if I could kiss you-_

_CAS: I would say yes, Dean._

_Dean looks at Cas surprised but then his grip tightens around the coat. He pulls Cas into his arms and softly presses their lips together. Cas’ eyes flutter close and he leans further into Dean._

_When they break apart, Dean fails to suppress a smile and he huffs out a quiet laugh that ghosts over Cas’ lips. Cas pulls his eyebrows together in confusion._

_CAS: Was that okay?_

_Dean shakes his head, still trying to gain his composure back._

_DEAN: I think that whole speech you gave me about happiness being in just saying it is absolute crap. It’s not. Happiness isn’t something you can put into words, Cas. It’s what you feel. It’s in the doin'._

_Cas hesitates for a moment before he pulls Dean back into another kiss._

_CAS (murmuring between kisses): I like doin' this. Dean, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this happy before in my life._

_Dean pulls Cas impossibly closer and wraps his arm around Cas until Dean's hand rests on his lower back._

_DEAN: Me too, Cas._

Sam feels like he’s sneaked a peek at Dean’s diary and he quickly turns to the next page while his cheeks steadily turn redder.

_To be continued._

Sam flips back to the front page. _Carry On – Part 1_. After what he’s just read, he decides Part 2 can stay in Jensen’s trailer until tomorrow.

Speaking of trailers, there’s a knock on his, and Sam gets up to open the door.

Chuck -or Rob- is standing outside and grins up at him.

“Hey Jared, mind if I come in?”

Sam certainly minds, but he tells himself that he could gain useful information out of this.

“Of course, come in,” he forces a smile and pushes the door open to let Rob in.

“Alex just asked me to return this to you, said you dropped it the other day,” Rob fishes something out of his pocket and hands it over to Sam.

“He’s been acting weird lately, don’t you think?” Rob asks, accepting one of the two beers Sam grabs from the fridge.

“Who, Alex?”

“Yeah, ever since production started going iffy, he’s been acting strange. Almost like he’s a completely different person.”

Sam’s interest is peaked and he tries to make his next question sound casual: “When exactly did the equipment start breaking down?”

Rob takes a sip of his beer and furrows his eyebrows in thought. “Just a few days ago. I think we were shooting that scene at the beach.”

 _As soon as we got here_. The puzzle pieces are finally coming together, but Sam is still missing a few before he can make sense of the full picture.

“So, what do you think of the new script?” Sam asks, easily changing the conversation and watching Rob carefully.

“What new script?”

\---

Sam doesn’t open the piece of paper Rob gave him until they say goodnight and Sam is alone again in the trailer. The note is in Jared’s handwriting; Sam’s seen it enough in notes that are scattered all over the trailer.

[ _JarPad1919@gmail.com_](mailto:JarPad1919@gmail.com) \--> _ThOdAu2010!_

 _357579554900821_ _\-- > _ _1803_

Phone --> SWW0913

Sam’s too excited to question why in the world he would carry a list of Jared’s passwords with him and lose it. He runs over to the bedroom and grabs the iPhone from the nightstand.

 _SWW0913_ The phone unlocks and Sam lets go of the breath he’s been holding. His heart continues pumping violently in his chest as the _Missed Call (1) notification_ pops up and Sam selects it.

Three rings later and the return call gets picked up.

“I thought you broke your screen.”

Sam smiles and picks up the framed family picture on the coffee table.

“I did, but it’s fixed now.”

\---


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning has Sam loudly banging his fist against Jensen’s trailer door before entering. He finds Dean freshly showered and Cas in an oversized hoodie that Sam has a funny feeling belongs to Jensen. Sam coughs out a good morning and tries not to think about what he read last night.

It doesn’t take long for Sam to silently reminiscence the days where Dean and Cas used to just stare at each other. Dean blatantly avoiding eye contact now and keeping six feet from Cas is somehow even worse than their year-long staring contests.

Sam doesn’t even make it through his first cup of coffee before he inevitably breaks. “Dude, you know I read the script, right?”

Dean blushes and mumbles something that Sam would pay good money to have deciphered. The small smile Dean shoots at Cas tells Sam only half the story.

“By the way, did I leave my copy of the finale here?” Sam smoothly changes the topic and starts looking around the trailer for the script.

"We only have Part 1,” Cas explains and takes a big gulp of Dean’s coffee. His tired, blue eyes are immediately scrunched up in disgust and his face is that of regret. Maple syrup, honey, and three spoons of sugar. Dean likes his coffee gross but Sam will let Cas figure out these things himself as they arise.

“We spent all night tearing the entire trailer upside-down looking for the final script,” Dean adds and the wink he gives Sam makes Sam question the validity of his brother’s statement. Sam’s eyes involuntarily dart to the open bedroom door and he deliberately doesn’t think about the other reason why it’s a complete mess in there.

“Are you sure you didn’t miss anything?” Sam asks in his best attempt to keep this conversation professional.

“We did a very thorough search, Sam.” Cas deadpans and Dean chokes on his coffee as a deep red blush covers his face.

Sam rolls his eyes at them and picks up the 15x19 script that’s laying on the table. He flips through it out of habit but nothing seems to have changed since last night.

“Well that makes sense considering what’s in there has already happened. Can’t really change the past,” Dean explains to Sam like he’s a little bit on the slow side.

“Except for the part on how we got here. Chuck never gave us that speech,” Sam argues. It might be early and he might be tired but their current situation still doesn’t add up.

It’s Dean’s turn to sigh and roll his eyes. “Oh c’mon Sam. First Chuck sneaks into your dream and then he’s literally spelling his plan out in here.” Dean walks over and taps a finger at the script in Sam’s hand.

“You think that’s what he’s doing?”

“Don’t see what other options we have.”

Sam nods slowly and settles on a conclusion, finally voicing the suspicion that’s kept _him_ up all night. “I found out who’s meatsuit Chuck is in.”

Both Dean’s and Cas’s eyes snap up to him and Sam tries to keep his voice sturdy. He’s pretty sure he knows who it is, anyway.

Sam gives them a quick overview of Rob’s visit last night and nudges at the coincidence of the dream and change in script and the password for Jared’s phone all popping up at once.

 _A world without monsters. We could finally have a life here. A family, just like you’ve always wanted, Sam._ Three distinct conversations and they effortlessly align themselves together like parallels.

“And you’re absolutely sure that’s him?” Dean asks for the fifth time and Sam tries to reassure himself with every nod he gives Dean in return.

“One hundred percent,” Sam says. It has to be Rob, there’s no one else it could be.

“Well then, let’s go get that son of a bitch.”

\---

It’s almost too easy to find Chuck. They’ve got him pinned against a wall before Chuck even so much gasps out a breath.

“You really need to change characters. The appearance alone is a dead giveaway,” Dean taunts with a smile devoid of all humor.

“What? Ow, Jensen let me go! God, what’s gotten into you?”

“God’s what’s gotten into you,” Dean smirks.

Sam would roll his eyes at that statement, but he’s determined to catch even the slightest movement Chuck makes. Sam keeps his gazed fixed on the pair of stale blue eyes and scruffy beard.

Trapped between Dean and a wall, Chuck stays completely frozen and doesn’t even try to wiggle out of Dean’s grip. His wide-eyes frantically switch from Dean to Sam to Cas and back to Dean.

A fifth voice is suddenly added to their conversation. Andrew’s hysteric voice breaks through the group yelling: “What the hell is going on here? Jesus Christ, Jensen, let Rob go!”

Dean doesn’t even turn his head. He keeps his eyes trained on Rob and tightens the grip around Rob’s shoulders, pushing him further against the wall.

“Jensen, cut it out!”

Sam finally risks a quick look behind him and sees an infuriated Andrew glaring at Dean in exasperation. Next to him is Alex looking bewildered at all four of them.

A sudden breeze of wind dances around them, accompanied by the rustling of paper. Sam’s eyes are drawn down to the script in Alex’s hand.

Typed in big, bold letters on the front page are the words **PART TWO.** Sam can’t fucking believe it.

“Dean! That’s not Chuck, we got the wrong guy!” Sam shouts just as Andrew storms over and pulls Dean away from Rob.

As soon as Rob is freed, he runs off with Andrew following closely behind him. “Rob wait! Let’s talk about this. We’ll get HR involved but let’s keep this from the public.” Sam hears Andrew chasing after Rob.

Sam doesn’t waste any more time on the two. He grabs Alex and shoves him forcefully into Dean’s direction. Alex stumbles for a few steps before Dean pins him against the wall. The script flies out of Alex’s hand and the breeze carries it over to Sam’s feet. Sam swiftly picks it up and stuffs it into his pocket.

“You caught me!” Chuck says mockingly. “Took you long enough.”

“Why did you bring us here?” Dean grunts.

If Sam felt weird seeing a demon controlling Jack’s body, having Chuck talk and look like Jack is definitely worse.

“Nuking universe after universe, it gets boring you know?” Chuck says casually and gives Dean a shit-eating grin.

Dean's face scrunches up in anger and his grip around Chuck tightens, almost lifting him off the floor.

The sight of Dean mercilessly ripping the air out of Jack’s lungs isn’t even that strange compared with the rest of the situation and Sam immediately feels ashamed of that thought. Dean’s only doing this because it’s Chuck. It doesn’t matter whose body he’s in.

Chuck coughs and feebly holds up his hands in surrender.

“Dean, let him down,” Cas speaks for the first time and takes a step closer to them, narrowing the circle around Chuck.

Dean grudgingly loosens his grip enough for Chuck’s reddened face to stop from turning purple. A few more coughs fill the silence as Chuck tries to clear his lungs and normalize his breathing.

As soon as he does, the winning smile returns on Chuck’s lips and he stands up a little straighter.

"Relaax Dean. I was hoping you would learn something from this experience. I mean, did you really think I didn't know about your plan for Jack to suck up my powers? I'm God.” The breeze picks up at those words and a shiver runs over Sam’s entire body. Chuck continues as if nothing happened: “I don't think the two of you really understand the concept of what that means. I _created_ you. I made up every universe you’ve ever been it. You're nothing but characters in a story that I created. And still, you couldn’t play your goddamn parts.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint,” Dean bites back and his grip around Chuck tightens yet again.

“You don’t get it, do you? You don't _have_ a destiny. _Characters_ don't have a destiny, Dean. You have a plot and it's not in your hands to change it. You do as it says and follow my story.”

Chuck’s eyes dart between Cas and Dean and a sorrowful sigh escapes his lips. “I watched the two of you in the studio yesterday and you did so well. Following the arrows, saying your lines, acting your parts. Why couldn’t you be like that in your own universe?”

It’s Sam’s turn to speak and his shoulder brushes against Dean’s as he takes a step closer. “Because not everything we do ends up in your little script, Chuck. We have a life outside of your story, we’ve outgrown the characters you created for us and the plot changed with us.”

“Sam’s right,” Dean says. As he’s holding Chuck down with one hand, Dean pulls something sharp out of his back pocket. It’s a small Swiss knife and Dean pops it open and holds it against Chuck’s throat. “Bring us back to our world, or-”

“Or what?” Chuck jeers. A moment later and Dean is thrown to the ground with Chuck looming over him. “How often do I need to tell you that I’m God, Dean?”

Disinterest in Dean, Chuck turns to look at Sam and his expression turns mournful. “What about you, Sam? All you have to do is film those two episodes and you could have a normal life here, just like you’ve always wanted. Picket fence house, taking the kids to school, Thanksgiving with the fam…”

“This isn’t my family,” Sam interrupts and as he says the words, something cracks inside of him and he realizes that what he said is true. Gen, the kids, this life. It’s not Sam’s.

Eileen, Jack, and everyone else are waiting for them in their own universe.

“Bring us back, Chuck.”

“Give me my ending and I will,” Chuck demands with a sly grin.

“Never!” All three of them yell at the same time and Chuck looks at each of them calculatingly. Slowly, a thought crosses over Chuck’s face and his smile widens. “You know what? You’re right. Let’s bring you back.”

Before the sense of foreboding can creep into Sam’s consciousness, everything goes black again.

\---

It’s dark for just a split second. A blink with tightly shut eyes and then it’s over. Sam finds himself back at the beach. Pain shoots through his body and he’s crouched down in the sand with Dean right beside him. He recognizes the silhouette of Jack standing somewhere in the distance before his eyes drift over to Chuck still standing in front of them, left arm raised and ready to snap his fingers.

Sam presses his eyes closed tightly, preparing himself for what’s to come. _Snap_. The sound echoes in Sam’s head, but instead of having his insides explode or torn to shreds, the pain in his knees doesn’t worsen and the air in his lungs doesn’t leave.

Sam risks opening his eyes again and looks at Chuck. Chuck is dressed in all black and Jack, in the distance, is covered in white.

Jack slowly starts walking over to join them, the confusion Sam feels reflected all over Jack’s face.

“You okay, Jack?” Sam asks, his voice hoarse, throat dry like the Sahara.

“I- I feel different.” Jack looks at Chuck but leaves the obvious question unspoken, hanging over them in the stifling air.

Instead of waiting for them to ask, Chuck smiles broadly around the three and gives a little spin on his axis to show off his new outfit

“You know all the stuff you said, Sam? It surprisingly wasn’t a complete waste of time to listen to. In fact, it gave me an idea.”

The blank stares Chuck gets in return make him sigh. Resigned, Chuck summons something out of thin air and a second later, he’s holding a long scythe in his hand.

Sam’s too confused to gasp but he feels his heart skip a beat in terror.

“I’m the new Death now, boys.”

“And Jack?” Sam hears Dean bark. His voice comes out sounding somewhere far off in the distance, even if Dean is still standing right next to Sam.

Chuck fucking winks at Dean. “What’s the fun in being death in a godless world?”

“So I’m the new God?” Jack blinks in confusion and Chuck nods.

“It’s time for me to undergo a career change. I mean, my writing _fueled_ when I was pretending to be a lousy human being. Imagine the stories being Death will inspire. The spur of creativity will be endless!”

“So what? You’re just gonna kill us as Death instead of God?” Dean asks, voice as torn and rough as Sam feels.

Chuck makes another face, clearly frustrated with their lack of understanding. “You guys wanted to write your own story, so have at it! See how much you enjoy being trifle, mundane human beings that billions already exist of. Because you know what? Your story, regardless of _how_ it plays out, is still going to end with me. I mean, I’ve brought you back so many times, it wouldn’t be poetic justice if I didn’t take your final life.”

Out of all the things Dean could say to this, the words that come out of his mouth are simple: “What about Cas?”

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, one more chapter sneaked into this fic so this isn’t the ending quite yet. I’m aiming to have the last chapter up by tomorrow so it’ll be a short wait at least :)


	8. Chapter 8

Even without the arrows leading him, it’s easy for Dean to find his way around the Empty. He stops, short-breathed, when he finally catches sight of a familiar trench coat.

“Dean, what are you- How did you get here?”

Dean grabs him into a tight hug and lets his chin rest against Cas’s shoulder, his cheek pressed against Cas’s jaw. "I've had enough practice saving your ass over the past few days," Dean mumbles, lips brushing over Cas’s ear before Dean pulls back and breaks the hug.

Cas tilts his head at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Dean’s eyes widen and he immediately takes a few steps back.

"You - you don't remember?" Dean stutters, suddenly shy and heat rushes to his cheeks as he looks down and avoids Cas's piercing blue eyes.

"Remember what?"

Dean fumbles. Long seconds pass where Dean takes deep breaths and calms himself down, figures out what the fuck to do now.

Determinedly, Dean covers the distance between them again and takes a hold of Cas’s hand.

"I swear I've said this a million times to you already but this never gets any easier." His voice falters and Dean chuckles timidly. "Guess I’m making up for lost time with all these confessions.” Another chuckle.

Dean finds himself stumbling and speaking with his heart pumping in his throat: “I love you, Cas. Never really let myself think of us this way because, well, who would’ve thought, right? But I’m sick of watching you die and going through life finding things I miss about you that shouldn’t even remind me of you. But then they do. And all the things we haven’t tried yet haunt me when you’re not around. And I- I wanna try, Cas.”

A soft smile appears on Cas's lips and he gently cups Dean’s cheek. “I know, Dean.”

There’s something about Cas’s smile that gives away more than his words do. Dean’s eyebrows furrow for a moment and then his expression turns sour before spreading into a smile again.

“So you do fucking remember! You're a dick, you know that?”

Cas shrugs, not showing the slightest guilt. “I like hearing you say that you love me.”

“Don't worry, you're gonna get sick of hearing it soon enough.”

Cas frowns but then something changes in his expression and before Dean realizes what’s happening, Dean’s back in Cas’s arms with Cas’s lips pressed warmly against Dean’s.

“You’ve shown me love in a myriad of ways, Dean. If one of us ever tires of hearing those words, we’ll just have to learn to say it in a different way.”

Dean rolls his eyes at him but there’s something warm and fuzzy spreading over his chest and his grip around Cas’s hand tightens.

“Let’s just get the hell out of here before you get all sappy with me.”

\---

When Dean and Cas return, they come home to a bunker that is filled to the brim with music, laughter, and -most importantly- people.

“How’s our new God?” Dean asks happily and claps a hand on Jack’s shoulder, while Dean’s other hand stays firmly glued to Cas’s. “Brought everyone back, huh?”

As big as Dean’s grin is on his face, however, it’s not contagious and Jack looks solemnly back at them.

“Not everyone,” Jack says with a soft shake in his head. “Just the people Chuck vanished over the last few days.”

There’s no need to ask who Jack is referring to, and Dean’s smile loses a tinge of its happiness. Jack doesn’t fail to notice.

“But I brought back the other universes and she’s still alive in some of them… I could- I could transport her here if you want?”

Dean still has his hand on Jack’s shoulder and, at those words, his grip tightens. Dean does the unthinkable and lets go of Cas’s hand, using it to pull Jack closer to him and into a quick hug.

“It’s okay, buddy. With you running the joint up there now, just promise me she’s gonna have a better life in Heaven.”

\---

“Heard what you said to Jack,” Sam mentions and the look he gives Dean is _probing_ him with unsaid questions.

Dean shrugs and pretends not to notice. “If I’ve learned anything over the past few days, it’s how out-of-place mom must’ve felt when she first got here. This wasn’t her time. Her world. I guess I kinda understand her struggles now. It just wouldn’t be fair to force a version of mom here, no matter the state of the universe she’s in.”

“Yeah,” Sam agrees quietly. “Jack’s got most of the other universes back running. Made sure there was a vaccine for the one we were trapped in.”

“That’s good.” Dean hates the small talk they’re having but he doesn’t know what else to say. Thankfully, he sees Jack and Cas walking over and approach them.

“I’ve decided to go away for a little while,” Jack begins and Dean’s eyes automatically switch over to look at Cas’s.

“Away where?”

“To Heaven. Cas says he’s going to help me rebuild it. Plus my mom is there and I want to meet her for real this time.” Jack is beaming but Dean can’t share his happiness.

“You’re leaving too?” Dean shoots accusingly at Cas.

Cas nods but before he can give Dean a verbal answer, Dean has already grabbed a hold of him and pulled him toward the fireplace, out of anyone’s earshot.

“What the hell man? I just got you back and now you’re telling me you’re leaving again?” There’s enough hurt in Dean’s voice that he can’t manage to cover it all up.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

When Dean only response is furiously blinking at him, Cas sighs and tries to start over: “Dean, you’re human-”

“So what? That’s a deal-breaker now?”

Cas shakes his head and takes hold of both Dean’s hands in his. Dean grudgingly allows his fingers to be intertwined with Cas’s.

“It means that you’re going to die one day and go to Heaven. I want to make sure it’s ready when you get there.”

The anger still bubbles inside Dean and making him feel sick with rejection. “So you’re telling me that Jack can restore entire universes by himself but not a single fucking heaven without your help?”

“He can restore the entire heaven without my help,” Cas says matter-of-factly.

“Then what?”

“I’m only staying long enough to help Jack restore a single part of Heaven,” Cas explains.

He lets go of Dean’s right hand and motions around them. “You let me call this place my home, Dean. You’ve welcomed me in and gave me a room to stay in. But before the bunker, before I met you and Sam, Heaven was my home. I’m not sure if we’ll ever be able to build it the way you like it, but… I want to try. I want to makes sure that when you and I move into Heaven, you’ll consider it home the way you made sure I could call this bunker my home.”

Dean tries to swallow down the sudden dryness in his throat. “Yeah okay,” he manages to say intelligently and watches as Cas’s gentle smile disappears along with the rest of him, and Dean is left standing alone, tightly clutching the air in his left hand.

“They’ll be back soon.”

Dean doesn’t turn around and waits for Sam and Eileen to finish walking over until they’re standing in the space Cas’s left.

“So what now?” Dean asks.

Sam shrugs his shoulder and wraps an arm around Eileen’s waist. Then a teasing smile appears on Sam’s face and he pulls something out of his pocket.

“Now we’re going to make sure you don’t walk into any abandoned barns or rusty nails.”

Eileen elbows Sam in the ribs and Dean rolls his eyes at him. “I’m not planning on dying before Cas is done fixing up Heaven.”

“What’s that?” Eileen tries to take the script from Sam but Sam easily pivots and holds the paper out of her reach.

“It’s our finale ending."

Sam smiles and shows Dean the cover page with the big, bold letters printed on it. **PART TWO.**

Sam waits for Dean to give him a slight nod before Sam drops the script into the fire.

“I thought it contains your entire future?” Eileen asks and looks at them in bewilderment.

“It does,” Sam agrees, smiling his shit-eating little brother-puppy smile Dean honestly thought wasn’t possible anymore with the lack of baby fat on his face.

Seeing that smile back on his brother is good in the best way and a laugh suddenly bubbles up in Dean’s body as he watches the paper turn into ashes.

“We’re better at improv anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos:)


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